Side loading

ABSTRACT

Side loading of content elements is provided. A selection of a content element from a terminal device may be received and a content format associated with the terminal device may be identified. If the content element is not available in the identified content format, the content element may be transcoded from a current content format to the identified content format and the content element may be transferred to the terminal device in the identified content format.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.12/767,569, filed Apr. 26, 2010, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/233,674, filed Aug. 13, 2009, which areincorporated herein by reference.

This application is also related to co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.13/332,356, filed Dec. 20, 2011, titled SIDE LOADING, which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Side loading is a process for providing network delivery of content. Insome situations, service providers need to provide access to variousdevices in order for those devices to consume media content. Forexample, a portable video player may download a movie from an onlineretailer in a specific, known format. This conventional strategyrequires the service provider to transmit media in a format that isknown to be compatible with the specific device in question. This oftencauses problems because the conventional strategy does not allow theservice provider to interact with other devices that may use differentformats. For example, service providers have no way to determine whatformats a device may be able to consume, and may have a small number offormats they can provide. This may limit the number of devices serviceproviders may allow consumers to use with their provided media.

SUMMARY

Consistent with embodiments of the present invention, systems andmethods are disclosed for side loading. A selection of a content elementfrom a terminal device may be received and a content format associatedwith the terminal device may be identified. If the content element isnot available in the identified content format, the content element maybe transcoded from a current content format to the identified contentformat, and the content element may be transferred to the terminaldevice in the identified content format.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are examples and explanatory only,and should not be considered to restrict the invention's scope, asdescribed and claimed. Further, features and/or variations may beprovided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, embodimentsof the invention may be directed to various feature combinations andsub-combinations described in the detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a service provider architecture;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a customer premises architecture;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an illustrative routine for providingside loading;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a cable television system; and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide for a method of enablingthe ability to transfer content (e.g., video, audio, etc.) stored in ahome or in a service provider network to a mobile or other type ofcustomer premises equipment (CPE) device. A CPE device may comprisetelecommunications hardware located at the home or business of acustomer while mobile devices may be operative to be relocated and mayconnect to other networks outside the customer premises (e.g., at a WiFihot spot). Such equipment may include cable or satellite televisionset-top boxes, handheld game consoles, portable media players, tabletand/or notebook computers, and/or cellular telephones. A systemutilizing embodiments of the present invention may support a CPE devicethat may be connected to multiple networks (e.g., home LAN and AccessWAN) concurrently or the connection type may vary over time/location ofthe device.

These embodiments may be combined, other embodiments may be utilized,and structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit orscope of the present invention. The following detailed description istherefore not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of thepresent invention is defined by the appended claims and theirequivalents. Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals referto like elements throughout the several figures, embodiments of thepresent invention and an exemplary operating environment will bedescribed.

Consistent with embodiments of the invention, a user may be enabled tocreate rules for how and when content is transferred. Rules that may becreated include, but are not limited to when transfers of content shouldtake place (e.g., only at night), over what networks transfers shouldtake place (e.g., only when connected via WiFi), and/or downloadpreferences (e.g., willing to sacrifice content quality to have fasterdownload times).

Further consistent with embodiments of the invention, a contentowner/service provider may be enabled to set usage rules for variouscontent. Such usage rules may include, but are not limited to, whatcontent is eligible for transfers to authorized terminal devices, whatcontent is eligible for transfers that does not require anyauthorization, what content requires secure transfer and storage (e.g.,encryption), and/or how and when content may be consumed on a terminaldevice (e.g., duration of rental windows, restriction by geographiclocation, etc.). Rules, whether user or provider created, may be tied toa current network access a device is utilizing. Based on the access typeor available throughput, an appropriate content format may be selected.

Existing home networking protocols may be augmented for device andcontent discovery and link protection (e.g., DLNA, UPnP, DTCP/IP) with ahigher layer application that provides more robust device/applicationpreferences, authentication, and content usage and downloading rules.

FIG. 1 is simplified block diagram illustrating a service architecture100 that may comprise an operating environment for a media serviceprovider. Service architecture 100 may comprise a service provider 110comprising a network content store 115 connected to a provider network120. Provider network 120 may be in further connection with a pluralityof components/modules operative to provide functionality fordistributing and/or transferring content from network content store 115.The modules may comprise separate hardware components (e.g., computingdevices) and/or software modules executing on a computing deviceconfigured to implement embodiments of the invention such as thatdescribed below with respect to FIG. 5. The modules may comprise aformat selection module 125, a device/application authentication module130, a profile server 135, a content transcoding module 140, and/or aconnectivity detection module 145. Provider network may be operative toconnect to a terminal device 155 over a network 150.

Profile server 135 may be operable for storing user and/or deviceinformation, such as device compatibility lists and/or user permissionsand/or preference data. Connectivity detection module 145 may beoperable for detecting what network terminal device 155 is connected to,as well as an available transfer rate to terminal device 155. This maybe performed at device connection time, session establishment, and/orduring the course of a session. Format selection module 125 may beoperable for selecting an appropriate format for a requested content tobe transferred in (e.g., what video profile, bit rate, resolution, etc.)based on rules stored on profile server 135 and information gathered byconnectivity detection module 145. Content transcoding module 140 may beoperable for performing a transformation function between content mediaformats as directed by format selection module 125. Authenticationmodule 130 may be operable for authenticating and authorizing devices orapplications to gain access to restricted content. A trusted application(app) 160 may be an application that may reside on a device, such asterminal device 155, operable for ensuring content usage rules areenforced. Not all content may require trusted application 160 to bepresent for it to be transferred to a device. Network 150 may comprise aprivate network, such as a cable television distribution network and/ora cellular data network and/or a public network such as a metropolitanWiMAX network and/or the Internet. A rules engine may also be providedthat may match content formats to device profiles, such as those storedin profile server 135. The rules engine may comprise a separate server(not shown) and/or may be incorporated as a software module in anotherelement of service architecture 100.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a consumer architecture 200comprising a customer premises 202. Components associated with customerpremises 202 may communicate with service provider 210 over network 250.Customer premises 202 may comprise a home media server 215, a gateway218, a home network 220, and a plurality of terminal devices225(A)-225(C). Terminal device(s) 225(A)-225(C) may comprise portabledevices that may be removed from customer premises 202 and operate inother locations, such as a laptop and/or a cellular phone. Each terminaldevice 225(A)-225(C) may communicate with home media server 215 and/orservice provider 210. For example, terminal device 225(A) maycommunicate with home media server 215 via a physical link 230, such asa Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable, terminal device 225(B) maycommunicate with home media server 215 via link 235 home network 220,and terminal device 225(C) may communicate with service provider 210 viaa public link (e.g., a cellular data network) 240 to network 250.Consistent with embodiments of the invention, terminal devices such asterminal device 225(C) may communicate with a network server 255 withaccess to a plurality of remote content 260 that may be located outsideof service provider 210's premises. Terminal devices 225(A), 225(B) mayalso communicate with service provider 210 via gateway 218 between homenetwork 220 and network 250, while terminal device 225(C) may beoperable to communicate with home media server 215 via relays overpublic link 240, network 250, and/or home network 220. Gateway 218 maycomprise a separate component and/or a network interface unit integratedinto home media server 215. Terminal device 225(A)-225(C) may eachand/or all be operative to connect directly to network 250, such as viaa wireless networking interface on a laptop computer terminal device.Customer premises 202 may further comprise a local content store 204 incommunication with home media server 215 and/or home network 220. Forexample, local content store may comprise a network attached storagedevice. Consistent with embodiments of the invention, functional modulesshown as part of service architecture 100 of FIG. 1 may be distributedto and execute at customer premises 202.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart setting forth the general stages involved in amethod 300 consistent with embodiments of the invention for providingside loading. Method 300 may be implemented using a computing device 500as described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 5. Ways toimplement the stages of method 300 will be described in greater detailbelow. Method 300 may begin at starting block 305 and proceed to stage310 where computing device 500 may connect to a service provider. Forexample, terminal device 155 may connect to provider network 120 overpublic network 150. Terminal device 155 may comprise, for example, aportable entertainment device, such as a handheld game unit oraudio/video player, operable to connect to network 150 via a wirelessnetwork connection (e.g. 802.11) and/or a cellular network connection.

From stage 310, method 300 may advance to stage 315 where computingdevice 500 may provide authentication to the service provider. Forexample, terminal device 155 may submit a username and passwordassociated with a user account with the service provider. Authenticationmodule 130 may receive the authentication details, verify a status ofthe user account, and identify a plurality of content stored on networkcontent store 115 that may be accessed by terminal device 155. Ifterminal device 155 does not have current and/or valid authenticationcredentials, the service provider may be operative to provide access tosome and/or all of the content stored on network content store 115, suchas a subset of free video programming and/or a list of content that maybe ordered and/or purchased without an authenticated account. Consistentwith embodiments of the invention, different customers associated withthe service provider may have access to different content elements;these differences may be identified according to the authenticationdetails. For example, one customer may have access to TV shows, whileanother customer has access to TV shows and movies.

From stage 315, method 300 may advance to stage 320 where computingdevice 500 may select a content element to be retrieved. For example,terminal device 155 may display the list of available content to a userof terminal device 155 and receive a selection from the list. Consistentwith embodiments of the invention, terminal device 155 may submit aselection request comprising a specific piece of content (e.g., “episode3 of season 12 of Lost”), an element of metadata associated with a pieceof content (e.g., “the most recent episode of Lost”), and/or a searchquery (e.g., “Lost”). Such a search query may return a plurality ofcontent elements for selection by terminal device 155. Terminal device155 may be operative to select multiple content elements (e.g. “allepisodes of Lost”). Content elements may comprise, but are not limitedto, elements of electronic data such as audio/video streams and/orfiles, software applications (e.g., games), web pages, electronicdocuments, and/or messages (e.g., e-mail, text messages, serviceprovider alerts, etc.).

After selecting at least one content element at stage 320, method 300may advance to stage 325 where computing device 500 may retrieve aprofile. For example, the profile may be associated with an owner ofterminal device 155, a user of terminal device 155, a user associatedwith the service provider account authenticated in stage 315, and/or aprofile associated with a type of terminal device. For example, theservice provider may have a generic profile for any user connecting froma cellular phone, a profile for users of specific models of cellularphones or handheld game units, or users connecting over a specificcarrier or type of network. The profile may comprise rules that may becreated by and/or for a user of terminal device 155 and/or rules createdby the service provider.

From stage 325, method 300 may advance to stage 330 where computingdevice 500 may determine whether the profile specifies compatibilityinformation associated with providing the content element, such as avideo format. For example, the profile may comprise informationindicating that terminal device 155 is operable to play videosassociated with one and/or more codecs (e.g., MPEG-4), at one and/ormore data rates, and/or at one and/or more resolutions. The profileand/or the content selection may comprise compatibility informationindicating that an incompatible format is desired by a user of terminaldevice 155. For example, terminal device 155 may comprise a screencapable of displaying a max resolution of 320×240 pixels, but maycomprise a High-Definition (HD) output port. Terminal device 155 maythus request an HD format instead of and/or in addition to a formatcompatible with its built-in screen. The request for the HD format mayalso comprise a user-specified rule associated with the profile.

The compatibility information may further comprise a bandwidthassociated with terminal device 155. For example, a mobile video playermay be capable of displaying HD movies, but may be limited in bandwidthby having only a cellular data connection. The user profile may providecompatibility information specifying a lower resolution, and thussmaller data size, format for transmission to terminal device 155. Thecompatibility information may further comprise a frame rate, such as 24,30, or 60 frames per second. A higher bandwidth may allow video data tobe transmitted at greater resolution and/or higher data rates.

If, at stage 330, computing device 500 determines that the profile doesnot comprise the content compatibility information, method 300 mayadvance to stage 335 where computing device 500 may identify thecompatibility information. Content compatibility information may beretrieved, for example, from trusted application 160 and/or inferredfrom model information associated with terminal device 155 and retrievedby the service provider.

From stage 335, method 300 may advance to stage 340 where computingdevice 500 may identify an available bandwidth. For example,connectivity detection module 145 may perform a bandwidth test toidentify a connection speed between terminal device 155 and the serviceprovider. Such a bandwidth time may comprise measuring round trip timesfor a ping signal and/or performing a data transfer to terminal device155 and measuring the time taken to transmit a known amount of data.

From stage 340, method 300 may advance to stage 345 where computingdevice 500 may select a format for the content element appropriate tothe requesting device. The format selection may take into account thecompatibility information of terminal device 155 and the availablebandwidth for transmitting the content element to terminal device 155.For example, terminal device 155 may comprise a video codec compatiblewith HD and standard definition (SD) video data, may be capable ofplaying Dolby® 5.1 audio, and may be connected via a 10 Mbps cable modemlink to network 150. The selected format may thus comprise a highresolution H.264 video with 5.1 audio. If the connection link had lessavailable bandwidth, the selected format may comprise a lower resolutionMPEG-4 video and/or two-channel stereo audio.

From stage 345, or if the profile identified the compatibilityinformation at stage 330, method 300 may advance to stage 350 wherecomputing device 500 may determine whether the selected content isavailable in the selected format. Consistent with embodiments of theinvention, different encoded versions of the same content element may bestored on network content store 115. These different versions may havebeen previously created for other users' terminal devices having similarformat compatibility information and/or may be stored by the serviceprovider. For example, a selected video may be available in HD and SDformat, but not a lower resolution QVGA (320×240) format.

If the content is determined not to be available in the selected formatat stage 350, method 300 may advance to stage 355 where computing device500 may transcode the selected content into the selected format.Transcoding is the direct digital-to-digital conversion of one encodingto another. One method of transcoding may comprise decoding the contentdata into an intermediate format, (e.g., pulse-code modulation for audioand/or YUV color space data for video) in a way that still contains thecontent of the original, and then encoding the resulting file into thetarget format. Transcoding may also comprise re-encoding in the samecodec format with a changed sample rate and/or image size. Thetranscoded content element may be stored in network content store 115for future use and/or discarded after transmission to the requester.

After transcoding the content at stage 355, or if the content was foundto be available in the selected format at stage 350, method 300 mayadvance to stage 360 where computing device 500 may determine whetherthe provider requires the content to be encrypted. This requirement maycomprise a provider rule applicable to all and/or specific elements ofcontent and/or applicable to the specific terminal device or userrequesting the content.

If encryption is determined to be required at stage 360, method 365 mayadvance to stage 365 where computing device 500 may determine whetherthe requesting terminal device supports encrypted content. For example,terminal device 155 may need to have trusted app 160 installed todecrypt and view the encrypted content element. If terminal device doesnot support encryption, method 300 may end at stage 380. Consistent withembodiments of the invention, terminal device 155 may display an errormessage to a user associated with terminal device 155 to inform them ofthe problem. The service provider may offer the option to installtrusted app 160 and continue with retrieving the requested encryptedcontent. This option may be dependent on the authentication credentialsprovided at stage 315.

If the terminal device is determined to support encrypted content atstage 365, method 300 may advance to stage 370 where computing device500 may encrypt the content element. For example, the service providermay apply digital rights management (DRM) to the content element.Consistent with embodiments of the invention, other types of contentcontrol and tracking, such as digital watermarking, may be applied tothe content element.

After the element is encrypted at stage 370, or if encryption isdetermined to not be needed at stage 360, method 300 may advance tostage 375 where the requested content element may be transferred to theterminal device in the selected format. The transfer may occur accordingto a transfer rule established by the service provider and/or the userof terminal device 155, such as a download time window rule associatedwith the user's profile. For example, the user may establish a rule thattransfers over 100 MB may take place between 12:00 AM and 5:00 AM and/orthat transfers should only take place when terminal device 155 isconnected via an 802.11 wireless network, not a cellular data network.Method 300 may then end at stage 380.

The stages of method 300 described above are intended as non-limitingexamples only. Although the method has been described as each beingperformed by computing device 500, any and/or all of the stages ofmethod 300 may be performed by any and/or all of the modules andelements described in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5. Furthermore, the order ofstages is merely an example, and the stages may be performed in anyorder. For example, the stages indicated as being performed by elementsassociated with service architecture 100 may be performed by elementsassociated with customer premises 210.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a cable television (CATV) system 400 forproviding digital and/or analog video programming, information contentand interactive television services. These services may be transmittedvia a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network 415 to a television set 420 forconsumption by a cable television/services system customer. For example,television set 420 may be located at customer premises 202 as shown inFIG. 2. HFC network 415 may combine both optical fiber and coaxial cablelines. Typically, optical fiber runs from a cable head end 410 toneighborhoods of 500 to 2,000 customers. Coaxial cable runs from theoptical fiber feeders to each customer. According to embodiments of thepresent invention, the functionality of HFC network 415 allows forefficient bidirectional data flow between a client-side set-top box 405and a server-side application server 440 of the present invention.Set-top box 405 may comprise a terminal device such as terminal device155 and/or terminal devices 225(A)-225(C).

CATV system 400 may comprise a distributed client-server computingsystem for providing video and data flow across HFC network 415 betweenserver-side services providers (e.g., cable television/servicesproviders) via head end 410 and a client-side customer via client-sideset-top box (STB) 405 functionally connected to a customer receivingdevice, such as television set 420. CATV systems 400 may provide avariety of services across HFC network 415 including traditional digitaland analog video programming, telephone services, high speed Internetaccess, video-on-demand, and information services.

On the client side of CATV system 400, digital and analog videoprogramming and digital and analog data may be provided to televisionset 420 via set-top box (STB) 405. Interactive television services thatallow a customer to input data to CATV system 400 may likewise beprovided by STB 405. As illustrated in FIG. 4, STB 405 may comprise amultipurpose computing device having a computer processor, memory and aninput/output mechanism. The input/output mechanism may receive inputfrom server-side processes via HFC network 415 and from customers viainput devices such as a remote control device 428 and a keyboard 430.Remote control device 428 and keyboard 430 may communicate with the STB405 via a suitable communication transport such as an infraredconnection 432. STB 405 may also include a video processor forprocessing and providing digital and analog video signaling totelevision set 420 via a cable communication transport 434. Amulti-channel tuner may be provided for processing video and data to andfrom STB 405 and head end 410.

STB 405 may also include an operating system 422 for directing thefunctions of STB 405 in conjunction with a variety of clientapplications. For example, if a client application 425 requires a newsflash from a third-party news source to be displayed on television 420,operating system 422 may cause the graphics functionality and videoprocessor of STB 405, for example, to output the news flash totelevision 420 at the direction of client application 425 responsiblefor displaying news items.

Because a variety of different operating systems 422 may be utilized bya variety of different brands and types of set-top boxes, a middlewarelayer 424 may be provided to allow a given software application to beexecuted by a variety of different operating systems. According to anembodiment of the present invention, middleware layer 424 may include aset of application programming interfaces (API) that are exposed toclient application 425 and operating system 422 that allow clientapplication 425 to communicate with operating system 422 through commondata calls understood via the API set. As described below, acorresponding middleware layer may be included on the server side ofCATV system 400 for facilitating communication between server-sideapplication server 440 and client-side STB 405. A middleware layer 442of server-side application server 440 and middleware layer 424 ofclient-side STB 405 may format data passed between the client side andserver side according to the Extensible Markup Language (XML). As shouldbe appreciated, XML is only one example of data formatting, data passedbetween the client side and the server side may be formatted accordingto any other suitable formatting language or standard.

According to one embodiment, the set-top box 405 passes digital andanalog video and data signaling to the television 420 via a one-waycommunication transport 435. STB 405 may pass digital and analog videoand data signaling to the television 420 via communication transport434. According to an embodiment, bidirectional communication may beaccomplished between the STB 405 and the television 420. For example,high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) ports on the STB 405 andtelevision 420 allow for bidirectional data communications between thedevices. STB 405 may receive video and data from the server side of CATVsystem 400 via HFC network 415 through a video/data downlink and datavia a data downlink. STB 405 may transmit data from the client side ofCATV system 400 to the server side of CATV system 400 via HFC network415 via one data uplink. The video/data downlink may comprise an “inband” downlink that allows for digital and analog video and datasignaling from the server side of CATV system 400 through HFC network415 to set-top box 405 for use by STB 405 and for distribution totelevision set 420. The “in band” signaling space may operate at avariety of frequencies. According to one embodiment, the “in band”signaling space may operate at a frequency between 54 and 1000megahertz. The signaling space between 54 and 860 megahertz is generallydivided into 6 megahertz channels in which may be transmitted a singleanalog signal or a greater number (e.g., up to ten) digital signals.

The data downlink and the data uplink, illustrated in FIG. 4, betweenHFC network 415 and set-top box 405 may comprise “out of band” datalinks. The “out of band” frequency range generally lies between zero and54 megahertz. Data flow between client-side set-top box 405 andserver-side application server 440 is typically passed through the “outof band” data links. Alternatively, an “in band” data carousel may bepositioned in an “in band” channel into which a data feed may beprocessed from server-side application server 440 through HFC network415 to client-side STB 405. Operation of data transport betweencomponents of CATV system 400, described with reference to FIG. 4, iswell known to those skilled in the art.

Data passed between CATV system 400 backend components such as head end410 and CATV system 400 front end components such as STB 405 may bepassed according to the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification(DOCSIS). DOCSIS provides for a mechanism for data transport over acable system such as CATV 400, illustrated in FIG. 4. Among otherthings, DOCSIS allows for the passing of digital communications andInternet connectivity over HFC network 415.

Referring still to FIG. 4, head end 410 of the CATV system 400 may bepositioned on the server side of CATV system 400 and may includehardware and software systems responsible for originating and managingcontent for distributing through HFC network 415 to client-side STB 405for presentation to customers via television 420. As described above, anumber of services may be provided by CATV system 400, including digitaland analog video programming, interactive television services, telephoneservices, video-on-demand services, targeted advertising, and provisionof information content.

Application server 440 may comprise a general-purpose computing systemoperative to assemble and manage data sent to and received fromclient-side set-top box 405 via HFC network 415. As described above withreference to set-top box 405, application server 440 may comprisemiddleware layer 442 for processing and preparing data from head end 410of CATV system 400 for receipt and use by client-side set-top box 405.For example, application server 440 via the middleware layer 442 mayobtain data from one and/or more of a plurality of third-party services446 via network 150 for transmitting to a customer through HFC network415 and set-top box 405. For example, a weather report from athird-party weather service may be downloaded by application server 440via internet 444. When application server 440 receives the downloadedweather report, middleware layer 442 may be utilized to format theweather report for receipt and use by set-top box 405. Data obtained andmanaged by middleware layer 442 of application server 440 may beformatted according to the Extensible Markup Language and may be passedto set-top box 405 through HFC network 415 where the XML-formatted datamay be utilized by client application 425 in concert with middlewarelayer 424, as described above. A variety of third-party services 446data, including news data, weather data, sports data and otherinformation content may be obtained by application server 440 viadistributed computing environments such as internet 444 for provision tocustomers via HFC network 415 and set-top box 405.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the applicationserver 440 may obtains customer profile data from services provider dataservices 460 (which may comprise an implementation of profile server135) for preparing a customer profile that may be utilized by theset-top box 405 for tailoring certain content provided to the customer.According to embodiments of the present invention, a customer profilemay include communications applications provisioned on networked STBs,as well as, designations of individual STBs in a home, business orfacility (e.g., “kitchen STB,” “bedroom STB,” “office STB,” and thelike).

A plurality of provider data services 460 may include a number ofservices operated by the services provider of CATV system 400 that mayinclude data on a given customer. For example, a billing system 462 mayinclude information such as a customer's name, street address, businessidentification number, Social Security number, credit history, andinformation regarding services and products subscribed to by thecustomer. An electronic mail system 464 may contain information such aselectronic mail addresses, high-speed Internet access subscriptioninformation and electronic mail usage data. An authentication system 466may include information such as secure user names and passwords utilizedby customers for access to network services. A customer informationdatabase 468 may include general information about customers such asplace of employment, business address, business telephone number anddemographic information such as age, gender, educational level, and thelike. As should be understood by those skilled in the art, the disparatedata services systems 462, 464, 466, 468 are illustrated as a collectionof data services for purposes of example only. The example data servicessystems comprising data services 460 may operate as separate dataservices systems, which communicate with a web services system(described below) along a number of different communication paths andaccording to a number of different communication protocols.

Referring still to FIG. 4, a web services system 450 is illustratedbetween application server 440 and data services 460. Web servicessystem 450 may serve as a collection point for data requested from eachof the disparate data services systems comprising data services 460.When application server 440 requires customer profile data from one ormore of data services 460 for preparation or update of a customerprofile, application server 440 passes a data query to web servicessystem 450. Web services system 450 formulates a data query to each ofthe available data services systems for obtaining any available data fora given customer as identified by a set-top box identificationassociated with the customer. Web services system 450 may serve as anabstraction layer between the various data services systems andapplication server 440. That is, application server 440 is not requiredto communicate with the disparate data services systems, nor isapplication server 440 required to understand the data structures ordata types utilized by the disparate data services systems. Web servicessystem 450 may be operative to communicate with each of the disparatedata services systems for obtaining necessary customer profile data. Thecustomer profile data obtained by the web services system is assembledand is returned to application server 440 for ultimate processing viamiddleware layer 442, as described above.

An embodiment consistent with the invention may comprise a system forproviding content transcoding. The system may comprise a memory storageand a processing unit coupled to the memory storage. The processing unitmay be operative to receive a selection of a content element from aterminal device, identify a content format associated with the terminaldevice, determine whether the content element is available in theidentified content format, transcode the content element from a currentcontent format to the identified content format, and transfer thecontent element to the terminal device in the identified content format.

Another embodiment consistent with the invention may comprise a systemfor providing content to a terminal device. The system may comprise amemory storage and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage. Theprocessing unit may be operative to select a content element fortransfer to a terminal device, identify a content format associated withthe terminal device, identify a bandwidth associated with a connectionto the terminal device, prepare the content element for the terminaldevice according to the identified content format and the bandwidth, andtransfer the content element to the terminal device over the connection.The preparation may comprise locating a copy of the content element inthe identified content format and/or transcoding the content elementfrom another format into the identified content format.

Yet another embodiment consistent with the invention may comprise asystem for providing formatted content. The system may comprise a memorystorage and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage. Theprocessing unit may be operative to connect to a content provider,submit an authentication credential to the content provider, select acontent element available from the content provider, and determinewhether a profile associated with the authentication credentialspecifies a preferred content format. If so, the processing unit may beoperative to determine whether the content element is available in thepreferred content format and, if not, transcode the content element tothe preferred content format. The processing unit may then be operativeto transfer the content element to the terminal device in the preferredcontent format.

FIG. 5 illustrates a computing device 500 as configured to execute aprofile server 135 as shown in FIG. 1. Computing device 500 may includea processing unit 510 and a memory unit 520. Memory 520 may include aprofile retrieval software module 530 and a profile database 540. Whileexecuting on processing unit 510, profile retrieval software module 530may perform processes for retrieving, updating, and/or transmittingprofile information, including, for example, one or more stages includedin method 300 described above with respect to FIG. 3. Furthermore,profile retrieval software module 530 may be executed on or reside inany element shown and/or described with respect to FIG. 1. Moreover, anyone or more of the stages included in method 300 may be performed on anyelement shown in FIG. 1.

Computing device 500 may be implemented using a personal computer, anetwork computer, a mainframe, or other similar microcomputer-basedworkstation. The processor may comprise any computer operatingenvironment, such as hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based or programmable sender electronic devices,minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The processor may alsobe practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks areperformed by remote processing devices. Furthermore, the processor maycomprise a mobile terminal, such as a smart phone, a cellular telephone,a cellular telephone utilizing wireless application protocol (WAP),personal digital assistant (PDA), intelligent pager, portable computer,a hand held computer, a conventional telephone, a wireless fidelity(Wi-Fi) access point, or a facsimile machine. The aforementioned systemsand devices are examples and the processor may comprise other systems ordevices.

As described herein, methods and systems are provided for allowingnetwork delivery of content. It will be apparent to those skilled in theart that various modifications or variations may be made in the presentinvention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice of theinvention disclosed herein.

We claim:
 1. A method for providing encoded content, the methodcomprising: connecting to a content provider from a terminal device;submitting an authentication credential associated with the terminaldevice to the content provider; selecting a content element from among aplurality of content elements available from the content provider,wherein the plurality of available content elements is associated withthe authentication credential; determining whether a profile associatedwith the authentication credential specifies a preferred content format;in response to determining that the profile associated with theauthentication credential specifies the preferred content format,determining whether the content element is available in the preferredcontent format; in response to determining that the content element isnot available in the preferred content format, transcoding the contentelement to the preferred content format; and transferring the contentelement to the terminal device in the preferred content format.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: in response to determining thatthe profile associated with the authentication credential does notspecify the preferred content format, identifying a best content formataccording to a type of the terminal device and an available bandwidthassociated with a connection between the content provider and theterminal device.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the bestcontent format according to the type of the terminal device comprisesidentifying a video codec associated with the type of the terminaldevice.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the best contentformat according to the available bandwidth comprises identifying a typeof network associated with the connection between the content providerand the terminal device.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining whether the content provider requires the content element inthe preferred content format to be encrypted.
 6. The method of claim 5,further comprising: in response to determining the content providerrequires the content element in the preferred content format to beencrypted, encrypting the content element.
 7. The method of claim 5,further comprising: in response to determining the content providerrequires the content element in the preferred content format to beencrypted, determining whether the terminal device supports encryptionand, if so, encrypting the content element.
 8. A computer readablestorage device containing instructions, which when executed by aprocessing unit, is operative to perform a method for providing encodedcontent, the method comprising: connecting to a content provider from aterminal device; submitting an authentication credential associated withthe terminal device to the content provider; selecting a content elementfrom among a plurality of content elements available from the contentprovider, wherein the plurality of available content elements isassociated with the authentication credential; determining whether aprofile associated with the authentication credential specifies apreferred content format; in response to determining that the profileassociated with the authentication credential specifies the preferredcontent format, determining whether the content element is available inthe preferred content format; in response to determining that thecontent element is not available in the preferred content format,transcoding the content element to the preferred content format; andtransferring the content element to the terminal device in the preferredcontent format.
 9. The computer readable storage device of claim 8,further comprising: in response to determining that the profileassociated with the authentication credential does not specify thepreferred content format, identifying a best content format according toa type of the terminal device and an available bandwidth associated witha connection between the content provider and the terminal device. 10.The computer readable storage device of claim 9, wherein identifying thebest content format according to the type of the terminal devicecomprises identifying a video codec associated with the type of theterminal device.
 11. The computer readable storage device of claim 9,wherein identifying the best content format according to the availablebandwidth comprises identifying a type of network associated with theconnection between the content provider and the terminal device.
 12. Thecomputer readable storage device of claim 8, further comprising:determining whether the content provider requires the content element inthe preferred content format to be encrypted.
 13. The computer readablestorage device of claim 12, further comprising: in response todetermining the content provider requires the content element in thepreferred content format to be encrypted, encrypting the contentelement.
 14. The computer readable storage device of claim 12, furthercomprising: in response to determining the content provider requires thecontent element in the preferred content format to be encrypted,determining whether the terminal device supports encryption and, if so,encrypting the content element.
 15. A system for providing encodedcontent comprising: a memory; and a processing unit, which when coupledto the memory, is operative to: connect to a content provider from aterminal device; submit an authentication credential associated with theterminal device to the content provider; select a content element fromamong a plurality of content elements available from the contentprovider, wherein the plurality of available content elements isassociated with the authentication credential; determine whether aprofile associated with the authentication credential specifies apreferred content format; in response to determining that the profileassociated with the authentication credential specifies the preferredcontent format, determine whether the content element is available inthe preferred content format; in response to determining that thecontent element is not available in the preferred content format,transcode the content element to the preferred content format; andtransfer the content element to the terminal device in the preferredcontent format.
 16. The system of claim 15, further being operative to:in response to determining that the profile associated with theauthentication credential does not specify the preferred content format,identify a best content format according to a type of the terminaldevice and an available bandwidth associated with a connection betweenthe content provider and the terminal device.
 17. The system of claim16, wherein to identify the best content format according to the type ofthe terminal device comprises to identify a video codec associated withthe type of the terminal device.
 18. The system of claim 16, wherein toidentify the best content format according to the available bandwidthcomprises to identify a type of network associated with the connectionbetween the content provider and the terminal device.
 19. The system ofclaim 15, further being operative to: determine whether the contentprovider requires the content element in the preferred content format tobe encrypted.
 20. The system of claim 19, further being operative to: inresponse to determining the content provider requires the contentelement in the preferred content format to be encrypted, encrypt thecontent element.